In the midst of the storm…
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to finally have made it through and out of the storm that you are currently battling your way through? I know that I have, and do still. Storms in life have a way of bringing out our truth. How do we really view the world around us? What is our understanding of the ways that God interacts with us? Where are we as far as our faith in a loving and compassionate Father goes?
The storm is a part of the journey. It seems, when we’re in the middle of it, like it will never end. On and on it goes. Roiling wave after wave…violent wind gusts, lightning and thunder, all doing their best to create chaos and fear, doubt and sadness, sometimes anger. I have often fallen into the deep trough of embracing all of these emotions. It is so very hard not to. Turning to trusted friends and advisors is often a source of peace to a point, but that can be limited. When one is dealing with suffering such as loss and loneliness, it is so good to have that conversation with a friend, listening to their support encouragement and advice. It is often good advice, although at times it is misread by them as to what you may really need at the time. In my experience, if I have taken the time and courage to reach out to someone because I’m hurting or falling or really struggling, it means that I really do need to talk it out with that person, to hear their thoughts. The advice given is sometimes very well informed, always biblical in foundation, and logical, since I try to bring people close to me who I very much respect and trust.
The truth of the matter is, God uses suffering and storms to teach us, to refine us, to ultimately make us more like Jesus, and that should be the goal of every follower of Christ. But it really hurts. Truly, when you really think about it, it’s not necessarily the storm that harms. God promises that He will bring us through our storms. It’s really about how we respond to the storm. It’s the panic and the fear and the sadness that are really the things that could bring us down into ruins. Embracing the pain to too far an extent will not be beneficial in any way. It will often do us a great deal of harm in fact. I’ve had people tell me that there is no reason to feel in certain ways when in the middle of a storm, because God is in control. There have been many times that I find the strength to embrace that hope that takes away my fears and sadness, just by recognizing that God is on the throne and will deliver me by whatever means that He sees fit and at just the right time. God is good, God loves me, God is all powerful, able to do anything and everything, which will precede the question in my mind all too often, “so why doesn’t He do it? Why doesn’t He deliver?”. God only knows the answers to the how and the when of it. It is not for us to know the times or the seasons. We just need to hold on in faith, trusting that God will bring about the best outcome of the storm.
While it is of paramount importance to hold onto God’s faithfulness and love for us, knowing that He will bring us through, should this truth arguably lead us to no longer fear because “God’s got this”? It would be pretty much impossible for us to simply bob along in our tiny boat while the violent nature of the storm crashes all around us. The pain in the midst of the storm is real. The loss of a loved one, loneliness, personal attacks, whatever your storm may be…are all painful things to encounter. There is some good news about this reality, however. While God does not cause the storm of the hurtful experiences in our lives, He most definitely uses these to do that refining work in us. Sometimes and for some people I suppose, it doesn’t take as much battering to get to a better place, and yes, sadly some people decide to jump ship and swim for what they perceive as safer shores, thereby putting an end to what God is trying to do in their lives. Refining hurts. Pruning hurts, whatever analogy you want to use to describe God’s methods of perfecting us to be more like His Son. Without the hurt, we lose the benefit. I recall at an early point in the hardest and longest storm I’ve ever had to battle through, saying to God, “God, if I have to go through this, then please make something beautiful out of it!”. I knew that if He wanted to, He could just do as Jesus did in the boat during the storm that was terrifying His disciples. He could simply command the wind and the waves to cease, and they would immediately. I also had a vague idea that He might not. I remember talking with my Pastor at around the same time, telling him that I recognize that I will have a powerful testimony one way or the other if I stick it out and let God be God. One way I could have a testimony would be that God command the wind and the waves to cease and desist. That was the way I would have chosen! Just put an end to it and let me have my life back. The other option, by far the one I wouldn’t have chosen was that God would bring me through the storm. That was the scarier of the two, but it was the one I received. Oh such terrible experiences! Pain, hopelessness, fear, loneliness…you name it, I went through it. Still do actually.
While the painful journey through the violence of the stormiest times of my life was not the route I would have chosen, it has been the most productive and beneficial route for me and my relationship with God. Had He just put a stop to the storm, and the pain that accompanies it, I would have thanked Him profusely and then went about my life much as before. But the option that God chose for me has changed me in profound ways. My relationship with God has deepened…I feel often like a tree planted beside flowing water now. My ability to empathize has astounded me. I can feel for people now, rather than merely offering advice based on my limited knowledge and understanding. There’s a change in our ability to help others when we can truly feel!
For sure, I am longing for the day when I will come to recognize that the storm I am currently going through is officially over. I can’t really see an end to it at this point, but I’m sure it will come. There really is not much that is more beautiful than the ending of a storm. First, there is the wonderful relief and understanding that the danger has now passed, but there is also a newness to everything around. The wetness of the leaves on trees and the blades of grass and all other manner of flora just magnifies the sun in ways that nothing can compare to. The smell of wet earth is intoxicating, and the distant rumble of thunder along with the sight of the magnificent and still roiling clouds in the distance…the beauty of it all is utterly breathtaking!
Hold on if you too are in the midst of a seemingly world-shattering storm in your life. Hold on to the one who can see you through it, and in the process make you into someone you couldn’t have imagined. Something new and refined, prepared for whatever will come. Just hold on to Jesus.
